This invention relates to a portable renewable energy source generator, and more particularly, relates to a portable renewable energy source generator providing wind and photovoltaic electrical generation.
There is increasing agreement around the world that people would benefit from a change from nuclear fuels, coal, oil and gas as energy sources to clean indefinitely renewable and locally available natural energy sources such as sunshine, wind, and flowing water to generate useful electrical power. The use of each one of sunshine, wind and flowing water as an energy source by itself has its strengths and weaknesses, such as time of day or night, season, weather conditions, location of resources near to points of use, special land and directional and topographic requirements, the amount and cost of required real estate, aesthetic considerations, safety considerations, noise considerations, etc. However, when these natural and manmade sources of energy are used in combination to generate electrical power, they can go a long way in solving another major and heretofore expensive problem, namely that of providing a reasonably steady and continuous source of electricity for storage in batteries and other energy storage devices and/or for use in powering lamps, motors, pumps, and other devices.
The last few years have seen the development of renewable energy (RE) systems, mainly wind-based and/or solar-based systems. These renewable energy systems are intended to help fight against energy pollution and resource depletions.
These renewable energy (RE) systems are highly transient energy sources and exhibit strong variations in their energy outputs. Thus, they require proper means to store the energy produced in period of low demand in order to stabilize the output when the demand is high. At present, the storage of the excess energy relies mostly on batteries (Fisher, Jr., “Apparatus and method for charging an energy storage source”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,194,793, Feb. 27, 2001; S. Mituo, S. Tsutomu, O. Hidekiyo, M. Hisafumi, “Power supply apparatus for efficiently utilizing battery and electronic apparatus using the power supply”, U.S. Pat. No. 5,610,450, Jun. 29, 1995; T. O. Kent, B. Arthur J., “Method of power management for a hybrid powertrain system”, U.S. Pat. No. 5,999,864, Apr. 23, 1997). Batteries typically lose 1–5% of their energy content per month.
Remote and sometimes temporary power requirements typically require the use of a mobile or portable gas or diesel powered generator or a renewable energy system may need to be constructed to provide the required power. Fossil fuels such as coal and oil are not renewable and their use may be increasingly limited by growing environmental concerns. The goal is to minimize dependence on fossil fuels.
Gasoline or diesel powered generators are the most common but require constant refueling (i.e., spill potential) and may require environmental permitting (i.e., air permit or petroleum storage permit). Wind turbines have been used, but only when mounted to fixed foundations. Solar panels have also been used when mounted to fixed foundations, or alone on small mobile units (i.e., roadside emergency units or for use in space).
Accordingly, there is a need for a source of power that can be moved from location to location, is not reliant solely on fossil fuel, does not cause or add to air pollution or noise pollution, and does not require environmental permitting.